Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena drops a spot in the world rankings after finishing fourth in the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Top Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena slid down one spot to world number three in the rankings, after finishing fourth in the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The 31-year-old Sam Kendricks of the United States of America outpaced Obiena for the world number two ranking, after snagging silver in the Olympics with a clearance of 5.95 meters.
Before the quadriennial event, Kendricks was sitting in the third spot with 1,415 points--just 31 behind Obiena's 1,446.
As of August 13, Kendricks tallied 1,450 points while Obiena has 1,428.
Sweden's Armand Duplantis remains the world number one and extended his lead by a wide margin from 1,589 points to 1,617.
In Paris, he broke Thiago Braz's Olympic record of 5.03 meters by clearing 5.10.
A few minutes later, Duplantis broke his own world record and reset the Olympic tally by clearing 6.25 meters.
The most notable jump belongs to Greece's Emmanouil Karalis, who leaped from the eighth spot with 1,364 points up to fourth place with 1,403.
He snatched bronze, beating Obiena for the podium finish by virtue of a better record.
It's not a lost cause for the Filipino pole vaulter though, as he vowed to continue competing for the rest of the season.
"I am back in training, I am back in the game, and I am going to attack the rest of the season and make you proud," he wrote in a social media post. "You are going to see more from me, and see the Philippine flag raised and raised on a global stage."
[ALSO READ: 'Back in the game': Pole vaulter EJ Obiena vows to make Philippines proud for rest of season]
He may have missed the podium, but Obiena has garnered a lot of fans with his performance and attitude. This shoot may also have helped.